A Tail of Woah: A Reverse Harem Academy Tail (The Fox and the Hounds Book 1) Read online

  A Tail of Woah:

  A Reverse Harem Tail

  THE FOX AND THE HOUNDS

  Book 1

  Jacquelyn Faye

  A TAIL OF WOAH

  A Reverse Harem Tail

  Fox and the Hounds, book 1

  All Rights Reserved

  Copyright © 2019 by Jacquelyn Faye

  Cover Design © 2019 by Carol Marques

  All rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author's imagination and or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Published by Untold Press LLC

  114 NE Estia Lane

  Port St Lucie, FL 34983

  www.untoldpress.com

  PRODUCED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to Dick Sweeney

  American businessman and co-founder of the K-Cup single coffee brewing system.

  Yes. I just dedicated this book to the man who invented the Keurig. You got a problem with that?

  THE MAN IS A GENIUS

  Without him, none of my books would EVER have been published. Or written. Probably even thought of. Hell, I'd probably still be in bed if it wasn't for him.

  Glossary

  Kaede: (KAI-uh-de) Maple. Just putting this in here because everybody keeps calling her Kaydee and wanted to know how to say her name.

  Kitsune: (Kit-SOO-nay) Japanese fox spirit. Tails range from one to nine. It is also the Japanese word for fox.

  Nogitsune: (No-git-SOO-nay) Japanese fox spirit related to Kitsune. Field fox.

  Kami: (KA-mee) God.

  Sake: (SAH-kay) Rice Wine.

  Ojo: (OH-jo) Princess.

  Inari-kami: (e-NAR-e) Japanese god of agriculture, rice, harvest, and blacksmiths.

  Inari fox: Celestial messengers of the Inari-kami. Usually depicted as ghostly white foxes surrounded by foxfire.

  Yokai: (yo-KAI) Spirits and sometimes demons. Ghosts may also fall under this term.

  Hai: (HI) Yes.

  Tabi: (TAH-bee) Traditional socks worn with sandals. Seam between big toe and remaining toes.

  Yukata: (YOU-kuh-tuh) Traditionally worn outfit, not as ornate as a kimono.

  Tawagato: (tah-wah-GAH-to) Shit.

  Engawa: (en-GAH-wa) Porch usually constructed of wood that runs length of house.

  Arigato: (ah-ri-GAH-to) Thank you.

  Funazushi: (foo-NAH-zoo-shee) Japanese dish of fermented Carp

  Sama: (SAH-ma) Honorific used with gods and royalty

  San: (SAHN) Honorific for men or women. Translates to Mr. or Ms.

  Chan: (CHAHN) Endearing honorific for women.

  Kun: (KOON) Endearing honorific for men.

  Ragnarok: (RAG-nuh-rok): Norse mythology. End of the world as Fenrir swallows everything. End of times.

  Aesir: (ICE-ear) Clan of gods living in Asgard.

  Fylgjur: (feel-JUR) Spirit animal. Spirit totem.

  La Ancella: Italian for handmaiden.

  Chapter 1

  "It werz a derk and stermy night!"

  "Huh?" Hiroki managed to stammer as he held me upright while we walked down the wet, dark, smelling of piss (not mine, I went before we left the club, although it was in the men's room because the women's had a line forty-three people deep and I wasn't waiting another kami-forsaken minute), garbage-strewn alley.

  "I serd, it werz a derk and stermy night!" I swung the three-quarters empty bottle of sake at the clouds drizzling rain just as a clash of thunder shook the heavens.

  "Oh! It was a dark and stormy night. You are drunk."

  "So is you!" I poked Hiroki in the chest and gave him a shit-eating grin.

  "Want to know how I know you are drunk?"

  "Because I barfed in the dumpster?"

  "No."

  "Because I slipped my phone number into the front of that bouncer's pants?"

  "No."

  "Because I'm drunk?"

  "Well, yes. But I can tell you are drunk, because your tails are sticking out."

  I turned around, spinning in three little circles. "Yep. Onetwothreefourfivesixseveneight. They're all there."

  "You have nine and you know it, bitch," he said with a small chuckle, running his fingers through his straight black hair. "You might want to put those away before someone sees you. Again."

  "I not a bitch! You a bitch."

  Hiroki gave me a hurt look.

  "Want to know how I know you're a bitch?"

  He looked behind him. "My tails are not out."

  "No. You're a bitch because you put your phone number down the front of the same bouncer's pants." I poked him in the chest. "You got to give me a shot before you get all dazzling with the boys. It's not fair that you're prettier than I am."

  "I am not. You just have horrible self-esteem and an inferiority complex."

  "Meh. Who can blame me?"

  "Princess…"

  "Told ya not to call me that."

  "Ojo-sama–"

  "Nope. Saying it in Japanese still counts. Say it with me now. Kaede. Kae. De. You can do it. You called me a bitch, you can call me by my name." I booped his nose. You'd think after twenty-years of being my bodyguard, he would have gotten over the whole princess thingy. Plus, we lived in America. I wasn't princess of shit. Maybe the rice farms my parents owned, but little else.

  "Kaede-sama…"

  "Close 'nuff." I tripped over a black trash bag in the middle of the alley, my foot getting soaked from the rain water that had collected on the top of it. "Ewww." I shook my foot and the smell from the bag wafted up and punched me in the nose. "Oh, kami… I'm gonna puke again." I pulled out of Hiroki's grip and ran to the side of the alley, unleashing a torrent of sake and Taco Bell on the concrete, ignoring the splash-backs on my ankles and feet. If I hadn't, I probably would have just puked some more.

  Is she going to be okay?

  I lifted my hand and sniffed really hard, wincing as the remnants of hurl burned my nose and throat. "Who said dat?"

  There was a ghost sitting atop a bashed green dumpster to our left, legs crossed, and a disdainful look on his face. Ever the mature nine-tailed kitsune…I stuck my tongue out at him.

  "She shall be fine," Hiroki said and pulled the sake out of my hand, offering it to the ghost, who gladly accepted.

  "Hey! That was mine!"

  "Was. You have had enough."

  I pouted as the ghost nodded his thanks for the offering. "It has been so many years…" He tilted the bottle back and I watched in horror as the liquid splashed over the dumpster he was sitting on. It had been an offering, so at least he could taste the sake, but still… What a waste.

  "Thank you," the ghost moaned pitifully.

  "You are welcome," Hiroki answered with a bow, elbowing me painfully in the side.

  "What he said," I grumbled and did the same, paying my respects to the deceased.

  With a smile, he faded from view.

  "You must respect the spirits, Ojo-sama."

  "I will when they quit drinking my damn sake."

  "You are an Inari fox. It is your duty to guide the spirits. Plus, you can always make more."

  "Half. I'm half Inari fox. The kitsune side of me wants to have more fun!"

  "It is nearly three in the morning. Tomorrow we s
hall have more fun."

  "You're a friggin' nogitsune! It's in your blood to have fun. Why are you being all responsible and shit?"

  "Because I fear your parents."

  "True story, bro." I nodded emphatically. My father was a full-blown Inari fox, a spirit messenger and shrine guardian for the Inari kami. Sure, he hadn't lived in Japan since 1869…but he still took his duties very seriously. If he had his way, I'd be a shrine maiden. Even though there was absolutely nothing maidenly about me.

  My mother on the other hand, was a kitsune. She wore her nine tails with pride and grace and was a real queen among the kitsune. With Inari's blessing, the two of them had fled Japan and were some of the first eastern settlers in California. Everyone thought they were just Japanese immigrants, come to build a rice farm. Which they did. But they expanded their lands quickly, growing tea and raising silkworms. After a few decades, their farm had practically turned into a self-contained, thriving city with shrines, restaurants, and pretty much everything you could imagine. Yoshida it was named, and it was home.

  Who knew California would be perfect for growing rice? In fact, ninety-five percent of all of California's rice was grown in the Sacramento area, and a good portion of that on my parents' farms. Life was perfect for them. Until I was born.

  "I think they hate me."

  "Who hates you?"

  "My parents."

  "Why would they hate you?"

  "Because I'm utterly American. And a disappointment. Kinda slutty, smart-mouthed, disrespectful, totally not reverent in any way, shape, or form. Oh, and I might be a little bit of an alcoholic." I scrunched one of my eyes closed and peered at Hiroki through my pinched finger tips.

  "They do not hate you," Hiroki answered. "They are too disappointed in you to hate you."

  "Gee, thanks."

  "Just trying to make you smile."

  He always was. Technically, he was my bodyguard. That's just fancy-talk for babysitter. But, more importantly, he was my best friend. It was an easy title to take, since he was my only friend. There were a ton of kids my age in Yoshida, and by my age, I meant late teens, not mid-twenties. Kitsune didn't really age. Once I hit puberty in my twenties, it crawled to a sudden and abrupt stop. I looked too young to drink, but thankfully my driver's license, which had my actual age of twenty-three, was still believable. But I was going to need a new one very soon. Nobody would buy that I was much older than that. Ever.

  That was the nice thing about owning your own city. You got to control all the public records…

  We weren't the only supernatural creatures in Yoshida, either. There were other families of foxes, yokai (spirits), demons (the good kind), ghosts, vampires, you name it. We all got along just peachy, thanks to my father. He was scary enough that nobody wanted to get on his bad side. Except me.

  Hiroki, on the other hand, was a nogitsune, or field-fox. Tough. Badass. Loved to play tricks. Smart. Witty. Funny. Sexy. He was the whole damn package. So, of course he was gay. Bisexual actually, but very feminine and preferred men to women. Secretly, I think he was pretty sweet on me, but fear of my mother kept it in his pants. We'd fooled around a few times, heavy petting, making out, and one time I actually had my hand around Hiroki Jr. before he pushed me away. How the hell he had said no after getting that hot and heavy, I'll never know. I think my mother may have threatened the safety of one of his five tails. Or his junk. Either way, I was not a risk he was willing to take.

  His name was actually Hasashi, but I'd always called him Hiroki. It was Japanese for large sparkle. It kind of stuck and even my parental units started calling him Hiroki. As did everybody else. He was mad at first, but I think it kind of grew on him after two decades of hearing it from first thing in the morning until I passed out at night.

  "Come on. Let us get you home."

  "Meanie."

  "It is not you that your parents will reprimand. It is I."

  "S'not like you haven't heard it all a bajillion times."

  "You are more right than you know, Ojo-sama. Might I suggest a bit of caution? Your mother and father…seem to be getting exasperated by your behavior."

  "What are they going to do, kick me out?" I scoffed and kicked an empty soda can out onto the sidewalk as we emerged onto the brightly lit street.

  "Your tails are still exposed. So are your undergarments."

  I sighed and closed my eyes. Controlling my tails in my human form was hard enough. Being drunk made it a challenge of epic proportions. Picturing my behind without them, they shifted away in a curl of mist and I felt my already short skirt fall back down over my ass. "Happy?"

  "Mostly. I was enjoying the view," he hissed in laughter, still sounding like a fox.

  "Puh-leez. You've seen my ass more than I have."

  "Quit showing it off and you might have a chance of evening the score."

  Grabbing the closest lamppost with one hand, I spun myself around it, stopping in front of Hiroki with a grin. "Really want me to?"

  He sighed. "Sometimes I do."

  "Why?" I frowned at him.

  "You. You are clueless at how tempting you are, Kaede-sama."

  "Would you please drop the honorifics? You've been my best friend foreverrr."

  "I cannot."

  "But you think I'm pretty?"

  "No. A flower is pretty. The sunrise is pretty. You are beautiful."

  I blushed. It wasn't the first time he had told me I was pretty, but I kind of had my suspicions that my parents paid him to do it. My mother was a gold kitsune. My father an Inari fox. His spiritual essence bleached me, denying me my mother's golden hue and beauty. My hair was stark white, almost silver, and my tails matched it perfectly. In my fox form, I could easily be mistaken for a giant arctic fox. Even my eyes were ice blue. I'd never thought I was pretty, let alone beautiful. "Thank you."

  "You are welcome, Kaede."

  "You did it!"

  "I tried. To at least get you to stop speaking."

  "As a reward… I'll let you take me home and take me to bed."

  "You mean put you to bed."

  "Do I?" I gave him a sultry grin.

  Hiroki tilted his head, listening in the distance. I heard it a moment after he did. Sirens. They were heading in our direction. "We should go."

  "Hang on. I wanna see what's going on." I was a fox. Curiosity was my middle name. Little known fact, foxes are ten times worse than cats when it came to curiosity. We were just smart enough not to get killed by it. Usually.

  "It may not be safe…"

  "Safe? Shmafe. Here they come." I turned and watched the parade of blue lights from the police and the red lights from the two fire trucks that rounded the corner and sped past us. "Let's go!"

  I could hear Hiroki sigh as I took off running after the procession. "No. Don't. Stop," he called sarcastically, knowing the futility of his words as he took off after me.

  The sirens stopped up ahead beneath one of the taller buildings on the street. I figured it was a robbery or something until the fire trucks turned their floodlights upward. I skidded to a stop.

  "It's a jumper," Hiroki said as he stopped next to me, not even winded. I was breathing a little heavier and it kind of pissed me off, even though I knew Hiroki worked out from dawn until I dragged my ass out of bed. That was like five hours of uninterrupted gym time, every day.

  "He's going to commit suicide?"

  "Hai."

  "What a wuss."

  Hiroki frowned at me. "Do not judge, youngling. You do not know his situation."

  "Still. Does he want to end up a ghost wandering the shit world he was trying to get away from for all eternity? He's not going to get to the heavens, or be reborn, with that kind of attitude. You saw that poor bastard back there," I hooked my thumb over my shoulder in the direction of the sake-thieving spirit in the alleyway, "you think he likes being a ghost?"

  "He," he pointed up at the figure standing at the edge of the building, "probably does not know the fate in store for him." He gave the
guy a thoughtful look before continuing. "Or the pain is too much for him to bear and any release would be welcome."

  I hated it when Hiroki got all philosophical. He made too much damn sense. "Fine. Wait here."

  "Kaede! No!"

  His words fell on deaf ears. Mostly because I had my hands over them as I leaped away.

  The firemen were setting up a giant air mattress in case they couldn't talk him down. The police were yelling about sending someone up just to talk, and a news van skidded to a stop behind the line of emergency vehicles. I slipped into the alleyway beside the building and let out a little power.

  I'm sure, if anybody had been standing in the alley with me, they would have shit a litter of kittens with mittens if they saw me. My tails were back, but so were my paws and ears. Kitsune and most spirit creatures had three forms. Full spirit (I looked like an arctic fox), human (I looked like an albino Japanese girl), and a demi-form (I looked like a damn cosplayer with fox tails, ears, paws, eyes, snoot, or any combination thereof). But, with the combination came more power. I used it to leap from building to building, parkouring my way up between them until my final leap brought me over the ledge of the building.

  The jumper didn't even hear me land. He was staring down over the side of the building at the people below. "I don't want to talk!" He was screaming over the side of the building. It would be a miracle if they could hear him from twenty-stories up. I used his distraction to shift back into a more human appearance.

  "Hey."

  He spun in a panic, putting his back to the street and losing his balance. Not the brightest thing I'd ever done, scaring a jumper standing on the ledge of a rooftop. He started to fall and without thinking, I popped from where I stood to right in front of him, my hand snagging a fistful of T-shirt and yanking him from the edge. Popping, was one of the greatest advantages of being a kitsune. It was kind of like teleportation without a teleporter. And it was instantaneous. The only problem was, I had to be able to see where I was going.